New poll: Trump&rsquo;s approval rating registers at 44% among South Carolina residents

by Tammie Greene

President Donald Trump waves as he boards Air Force One before his departure from Andrews Air Force Base, Md., Thursday, April 13, 2017, to his Mar-a-Largo resort in Florida. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)

ROCK HILL, S.C. (WCIV) —

In one of the reddest states in the country and less than a week to go until the midterm national elections, President Donald Trump’s approval rating registers at 44% among South Carolina residents, according to the latest Winthrop Poll of a representative sample of SC adults.

The 45th president has a disapproval rating of half of Palmetto State citizens. But, among respondents who lean Republican, Trump has an 83% approval rate, which continues to climb.

Trump’s approval rating among adults in South Carolina has remained in the mid-40 percent over his two years in office.

According to Winthrop Poll director and political scientist, Scott Huffmon, “Trump’s approval in South Carolina continues to be higher than his overall national approval ratings. Currently, his approval in S.C. is 4 points higher than his national approval rating of 40 percent (according to Gallup)

The Winthrop Poll found that a slight majority of respondents think our country is headed in the wrong direction, but that South Carolina is on the right track.

In this poll S.C. residents said the most important problems facing our country are immigration, followed by racism, and politicians/government. Those surveyed said the most important issues facing the Palmetto State are: education, roads/bridges/infrastructure, and jobs or unemployment.

S.C. residents give Congress a disapproval rating of 69%.

But U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham, (R-S.C.) who took a lead role in the Senate in the approval of Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh, was rewarded for going on the attack to help Trump’s candidate. That vocal support helped win Graham nods from the GOP where 3/4 of respondents who lean GOP and supported Kavanaugh said they approved of Graham. His ratings in the past have been more tepid.

Meanwhile, half of Winthrop Poll respondents said they approved of Kavanaugh’s nomination and only slightly fewer say their opinion of him was very or somewhat favorable.

South Carolina will elect its governor on Nov. 6. The support from the general population for incumbent S.C. Governor Henry McMaster has climbed to 51% from the spring when it was in the mid-40 percent range. His disapproval ratings remain at 29%, with 18% not sure. Elected as the lieutenant governor in 2014, McMaster took over as governor after Trump tapped S.C. Governor Nikki Haley to be the United Nations ambassador.